Algorists

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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Algorithmic art. (Discuss)

For the technique of performing basic arithmetic, see Algorism.

The Algorists are a group of digital artists who create algorithmic art, that is, works of art in a way that includes a process based on their own algorithms. For their purposes, an algorithm is simply a detailed recipe for execution of an artwork, which may include computer code, functions, expressions, or other input which ultimately determines the form the art will take. This input may be mathematical, computational, or generative in nature. Some artists also work with organically based gestural input which is then modified by an algorithm.

The Algorists formally began correspondence and establishing their identity as artists following a panel titled "Art and Algorithms" at SIGGRAPH in 1995. Jean-Pierre Hébert is credited with coining the term and its definition, which is quite unsurprisingly, in the form of his own algorithm:

if (creation && object of art && algorithm && one's own algorithm) {
     include * an algorist *
} elseif (!creation || !object of art || !algorithm || !one's own algorithm) {
     exclude * not an algorist *
}

By this definition, algorithmic art is not to be confused with graphical methods such as generating a fractal out of a fractal program; it is necessarily concerned with the human factor (one's own algorithm, and not one that is pre-set in a package). The artist must be concerned with the most appropriate expression for their idea, just as a painter would be most concerned with the best application of colors. By this definition, defaulting to something like a fractal generator (and using it for all or most of your creations) would in essence be letting the computer dictate the form of the final work, and not truly be a creative art. The artist's self-made algorithms are an integral part of the authorship, as well as being a medium through which their ideas are conveyed.